What Do John Boehner Backed Candidates Say About His Leadership Style?

October 17, 2010

(ChattahBox Op/Ed News) – Give this some thought. John Boehner, who is currently the minority leader in the United States House of Representatives and who is infamous for his uninformed insults of President Obama is in line to replace Nancy Pelosi IF the Republican’s win a majority in the November 2 elections. Leadership has its privileges and leadership also has its power. So, what kind of leader would John Boehner, the Congressman from Ohio, be?

I believe it’s fair to say that we can predict future behavior by past performance. Using that as a measuring stick and looking at the traits that allow someone to ascend to power requires a great deal of commitment, some sacrifice and the ability to see qualities in others and nurture those qualities so that you can surround yourself with people that reflect your vision and work ethic.Would you agree that at a minimum that is a fair assessment?

Now, I could take Boehner’s career in politics and spend hours writing about his work and what I find disturbing. I could also find some of what he has done and praise him, although that is not likely in light of what I do know. But what I have chosen to do is focus on what I just wrote. What kind of people does the current minority leader associate with? What candidates is he working hard for to help them get elected? And, most importantly, what does it say about him.

Let’s take a look at two of the Republican candidates for Congress that John Boehner has dedicated financial resources and his time to. Let’s take a serious look at these two candidates that Mr. Boehner from Ohio believes would be excellent additions to the House.

Candidate #1: Alan West. Alan is running for Florida’s 22nd Congressional District. Mr. West, according to NBC News this past Friday, has ties to an infamous motorcycle gang, the Outlaws, and is on record as saying he was proud to be guarded by the Outlaws. Last Monday Boehner traveled to Florida to stump for Alan West and the National Republican Campaign Committee touted West’s candidacy as one to watch. I agree, but maybe for different reasons than they have.

According to a Justice Department National Gang Threat report from 2009, the same Outlaws that are “guarding” Alan West and the same Outlaws that have been the focus of what the Justice Department calls “an organized crime syndicate” who have a history of denigrating woman, consider women property, they actually brand women like cattle, and are known for making and distributing meth, committing homicide and prostitution, are directly involved with West and therefore Boehner.

Obviously John Boehner knows how to pick them, doesn’t he?

Candidate #2: Rich Iott. Iott is running in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District. You may know him as the candidate that has for years dressed in a German Waffen SS uniform and participated in Nazi re-enactments. Boehner has donated to Iott’s campaign and is a featured campaign on Boehner’s own campaign website.

This is politics folks, and we all know that in the world of politics you are measured as much by what you do as by whom you surround yourself with. What I find most interesting about these two candidates and their ties with John Boehner is that this has barely made news in this country yet internationally these two men have been the target of press reports for weeks now. How does that happen?

These are just two of the candidates that Boehner has actively supported and campaigned for. Do either of these two candidates sound like someone you would want to vote for? Honestly?

Do these men sound like the solution to what is ailing this country? Is it possible that a person’s character matters when running for a political office? And the best question of all: what does sit say about Boehner’s leadership style as he is actively assisting these men in getting elected on November 2?

When you vote on November 2, please keep in mind that the local candidate you vote for has national implications and the ripple effect of your vote could harm this country deeply. Every vote for a Republican is a vote for John Boehner to lead the House. If that doesn’t give you pause, than I don’t know what will in light of the information I just shared with you.

There is no such thing as a wasted vote, but there is such a thing as a wasted opportunity. Don’t waste your vote on a Republican who will give John Boehner more power and opportunity. As this above example makes crystal clear, the kind of people Boehner wants to lead are not representative of who we are.

You don’t get to vote for who is elected as the Speaker of the House, but you do get to vote on who does elect the Speaker of the House. Make that vote matter and vote Democrat, for the good of the country.

Tony Trupiano is a former national syndicated progressive radio talk show host, author, and a former candidate for Congress. He is also a nationally recognized media trainer. He can be reached at tony@mediatony.com.

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